Howard Zinn Chapter One

Columbus has always been portrayed as an enlightened, peaceful explorer who “discovered” a new world, and became friends with the native people. Howard Zinn’s view on Columbus’s encounter with the natives is an entirely different perspective. Zinn describes Columbus as a man who is willing to torture and kill others to be able to accomplish what he wants; in this case he wanted to obtain gold and other resources to take back with him to Spain. When Columbus and his men arrived to the islands, he noticed that the natives were generous, and accommodating because they willingly traded everything they owned and brought them such things like: food, water, and gifts. Since the beginning the natives offered all of their hospitality to Columbus and his men. Columbus believed that the natives were ignorant because they had no weapons for self defense; when he showed them a sword, they had no idea how to use it and ended up cutting themselves. Columbus was more than certain, that he could take control over the natives, and captivate them as slaves. In his writing he wrote, “They would make fine servants….With fifty men we could subjugate them all and make them do whatever we want.” (Zinn, 3) This attitude leaded to enslavement, feeling superior, and genocide by Columbus and his men towards the natives. Columbus had persuaded the king and queen of Spain to finance an expedition to the lands, and the wealth; he expected to be at the Indies and Asia. Columbus would receive ten percent of all the goods collected, governorship over new-found lands, and the fame that would go with a new title: Admiral of the Ocean Sea. Columbus believed the natives could lead him and his men to where the gold was, to be able to take it back to the King and Queen so he took many of them as prisoners on his ship. He also wanted to take them back to Spain as slaves and be able to make them do whatever they wanted them to do. Columbus took advantage of the ignorance of the natives, and made them do...

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Zinn opens chapter with the recognition that “war and jingoism might postpone, but could not fully suppress, the class anger that came from the realities of ordinary life”. Despite the brief interlude that momentarily quelled class conflict, the issues at home had never been resolved and resurfaced with a vengeance. More and more writers were writing from a Socialist mindset: Upton Sinclair published The Jungle in 1906, as a commentary on Chicago’s meatpacking industry. In writing the book, Sinclair was influenced by writers like Jack London, a Socialist who had grown up in poverty in the Bay Area. London publish The Iron Heel in 1906, warning Americans about fascism and indicts the capitalist system” In the face of the facts that modern man lives more wretchedly than the cave-man, and that his producing power is a thousand times greater than that of the cave-man, no other conclusion is possible than that the capitalist class has mismanaged criminally and selfishly mismanaged”. Even an exiled Henry James condemned the U.S. when he visited in 1904. The corrupt actions of the American government and business elite were on the lips of activists, writers, and artists around the world Socialism couldn’t help but spread.
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...HowardZinn
Introduction
HowardZinn born August 24, 1922, was a very inspirational man in his time. He was a
author, professor, historian and activist. His life work focused on issues of race, class and
war and touched the lives of countless people. Many of his books and other works can be
found today.
He joined the army air corps in his earlier years. He became a bombardier in B­17. It
wasn’t until later on that he questioned the necessity of actually dropping the bombs. When
he returned home, he turned in all of his medals he earned and wrote “Never Again”.
HowardZinn really had three major accomplishments in his life. His civil rights movement,
his anti­war movement, and a publication of ‘A People’s History of the United States’.
Body
I.
Zinn was very passionate about being part of history and did so by helping in the
civil rights movement.
A.He became an “Adult Adviser” to the Student Nonviolent
Coordinating Committee and marched for civil rights with his students.
B.He had many meetings with civil rights leaders and
sharecroppers and children who were involved in the movement.
C.He took many notes on what happened day­to­day and ...

...﻿
HowardZinn: A People’s History of the United States
In the first chapter of A Peoples History of the United States by HowardZinn, the main focus is on the Indians, Christopher Columbus and the human progress and the author’s way of presenting factual information. Christopher Columbus is introduced as the famous navigator and explorer of the “New World”. We were taught in school that he discovered America and that was just enough for our tiny brains to like him because America is built on freedom and justice. We assumed that the man who “discovered” the place we call home had the same moral and ideals. Sadly, what was neglected to be taught in school was that our ideas about Christopher Columbus weren’t entirely true, infact we were even given the whole story.
Christopher Columbus motives for his voyage were; power, control and greed. Spain’s King and Queen promised him great rewards for whatever he would find Ten percent of all profits, governorship over new-found lands and a title that would bring him fame. Columbus, despite all of this, still went looking for money anywhere he could. On October 12, a sailor named Rodrigo, spotted land. It is said that the first man to spot land would win a yearly pension of ten thousand maravedis, which were the coins of currency, for the rest of their life. Columbus, instead of letting his fellow shipmate get the yearly pension he deserved, he claimed he had...

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People say some things should go left unsaid when it comes to political or religious views, however, HowardZinn take his political opinions to an extreme in his textbook.
If HowardZinn was to be placed in a room with conservative Republicans, nothing good would come from it. HowardZinn has extremely liberal views, and these views could get a class of high school students stirring and arguing against each other easily based on their own political opinions. I find that in learning about the history of the United States, Howard Zinn’s textbook is too biased for a student to fully understand what they are actually learning, which is history. When it comes to the subject, Howard Zinn’s personal opinion should be irrelevant to what the teacher is trying to teach and what the students are trying to learn. Howard Zinn’s textbook is too biased to be used in a high school class room.
HowardZinn has created a textbook that could spark controversy with almost anyone. When taking a class of the history of the United States, and learning how the government has been set up over the years, it is very important to receive an unbiased fact based opinion always. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and technically no one can have the wrong opinion, but someone else’s opinions should never be forced...

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• By 1760, the American colonies had undergone 18 different types of rebellions all aimed at overthrowing colonial governments. By the 1760’s the colonies had birthed capable and educated leaders, leaders that would direct the rebellious energy coming from the colonists towards the British.
• After the French and Indian war was over, the English were more in need of the monetary value that colonies provided, and the colonies were less in need of English rule, the elements for conflict amongst American colonies and England were present.
• Wealth was not evenly distributed amongst the people in colonies and there were negative feelings towards the upper class coming from the lower middle classes, this would cause lower classes to try to side with the British. When the colonist leaders realized this, they began to adopt policies that would gain the support of poorer economic classes.
• England tried to enforce their acts and laws upon a colony that had already established a sense of independence and they would only further the gap by trying to enforce laws that would tax already angered colonists.
Quotes:
• “When we look at the American Revolution this way, it was a work of genius, and the Founding Fathers deserve the awed tribute they have received over the centuries.” Zinn is referring to the fact that the American revolution was no mistake, the important people...

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...﻿A People’s History of the United States Chapter 9 Summary
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...line of trenches.” (Page 359) Before the war, the United States was not in a healthy condition. Socialism was growing and the IWW was everywhere. “In the summer of 1916, during a Preparedness Day parade in San Francisco, a bomb exploded, killing nine people; two local radicals, Tom Mooney and Warren Billings, were arrested and would spend twenty years in prison.” (Page 359)
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